Santa Barbara County has no numeric noise ordinance. Its Environmental Thresholds Manual treats a project as significant if it raises exterior noise at nearby homes above 65 dB(A) CNEL, or adds 3 dB(A) where it already exceeds 65. Data-center cooling and generators are conditioned to meet it via CEQA.
Unincorporated Santa Barbara County has no property-line decibel ordinance for stationary sources. Continuous noise is instead judged under the County's Environmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual (Noise Thresholds), applied during CEQA and permit review. A project is presumed to have a significant impact if it causes exterior noise at a sensitive receptor's outdoor living area — homes, schools, hospitals, places of worship — to exceed 65 dB(A) CNEL, or, where noise already exceeds 65, to rise by 3 dB(A). Interior living-area noise above 45 dB(A) CNEL is likewise significant. A data center's chillers, cooling fans, and backup-generator testing are engineered and conditioned to stay within these figures.
Noise exceeding a project's CEQA-based permit conditions is a permit violation. The County can require added mitigation, issue notices of violation through code enforcement, and, for continued noncompliance, move to revoke the discretionary permit.
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See how Santa Barbara County's data center noise limits rules stack up against other locations.
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